Siberian Breaks
by vaatu
Summary: Steven Stone is the face of Hoenn; synonymously, he is everything. —On disillusionment and transience. Happy ORAS.


_in celebration of oras and my absolute favorite song_

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><p>i. sleep as the goer<p>

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><p>This new reality is a wonderful dream, but with more emphasis on the idea of being asleep than anything else. A fog—not thick, but <em>heavy<em>, heavier than the weight of any single thought—makes itself known in his mind as he ascends; curious, he thinks, that it doesn't seem to have come from anywhere or grown from a single source, but was perhaps waiting on the outskirts of himself, preparing for this moment. The fog is peaceful, usually, fond of embracing thoughts with seamless, near-opaque tendrils. He doesn't mind it. It blocks noise well.

Outside, Ever Grande is full to capacity with devoted citizens waiting to welcome their new champion, Steven Stone, as he strides up the steps in the same direction from which he arrived.

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><p>ii. wide-open arms<p>

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><p>Four missed calls greet him as he disembarks. One is an out-of-region number, presumably from the hotel looming before him. (He takes a moment to study its façade. Kantonian columns support a frieze inlaid with authentic moonstones, glistening proudly as if to welcome him to the wealth of Indigo. He is impressed.) Another is from his father, reminding him to seek out one of Devon's corporate partners. And two are from his grandmother.<p>

She's left a voicemail. He hesitates visibly before pressing play.

_Steven, darling, it's your grandmother. Just calling to check up on you, dear, because it's been a while and—well, I am _so_ glad you've become a sensible young man. I know you've grown out of all those silly hobbies now that you're the Champion, of course, so why don't you swing by and visit your poor old grandma soon? I'm getting old, you know, so make sure you can put aside a few hours in that important schedule of yours to come and see me. Bye now! Take care!_

The Darkrai Queen herself speaks as if she hadn't been the one tormenting his younger subconscious for years and years—and worse, as if she still expects him to treat her with respect.

He shivers, walks forward, and wills the brisk aura of the hotel lobby to wash it all away.

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><p>iii. the faces that squint at the moon<p>

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><p>Steven Stone is the face of Hoenn; synonymously, he is everything. He is this year's ten-poké dollar, last year's retconned sightings-in-public, tomorrow's hero, today's leader. He is fashion labels, action figures, movie cameos, advice to young trainers, beldum-farm savior, comic-book series, photos, photos, <em>photos<em>, rumor, mystery—advertisement—beauty, symmetry, smiles, romance, charm (and other varying levels of perfection, depending on the angle of the piece).

The voices of thousands lift him off the ground without warning him first, and he floats at the mercy of the wind.

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><p>iv. breathe in everything exposed<p>

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><p><em>It's alright,<em> his mother's voice murmurs, its quality blurry in his memory. _It's alright, and when it's not alright, it will be in time._

Her words lull him back into consciousness, and he faces the world aware.

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><p>v. frozen in a starry void<p>

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><p>Now he remembers where he last left himself: on an expedition to Sinnoh, hiking through the mountain range created by Arceus' divine will and every ice deity's bitterest curses. Shivering. Searching, excavating, and collecting in places he should not have been.<p>

Being caught. Defending himself. Letting his team defend him. Succeeding.

His challenger had removed her hood during the battle, revealing hair the color of sunflora and an expression somewhere between annoyance and amusement.

_If I'd been using my full team, you'd be champion of Sinnoh right now_, she'd said with a not-quite-smile. _Who are you, exactly?_

_I collect rocks_, had been his response, but he hadn't been allowed to use that answer since. Steven Stone, Hoenn Champion—that was the title preferred by everyone except him.

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><p>vi. forces you see breathe can always go into hiding<p>

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><p>Wallace Mikuri is the face of Hoenn; synonymously, he is everything.<p>

Steven Stone collects rocks; finally, he is almost nothing.

He will be, soon, once the tide passes and the fog finds a new home. He will be allowed to disappear.

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><p><em>pretty unsatisfied with this but we_

_title and dividers inspired by MGMT's Siberian Breaks. please look it up if you love your life because it changed mine_


End file.
